Dream Girl
by Phoenix Inferno234
Summary: Cuz I felt bad for Dr. McPhee Dexter is fooling around with Akh's tablet and somehow creates a link between Dr. McPhee and a girl he's never met, causing him to have dreams of her life. Better than it sounds. I suck at summaries. kkz? T for l8r chaps.
1. Chapter 1

_It's a dark, stormy night in Brooklyn. A young woman is walking home from God knows where, and she's alone. She's beautiful, with gleaming, chestnut-colored hair that falls to just beneath her shoulders in loose curls, flawless porcelain skin, and big blue eyes framed by thick lashes. Tears are streaming down her cheeks, though it's hardly noticeable in the rain. Her footsteps are slow, hesitant. She's in no hurry to get wherever her destination is. _

_Involuntarily, she shivers against the cold wind. She pulls her dark green pea coat tighter around her small, slender frame. It doesn't help much. The fabric is old and worn, ripped in some places. Her faded blue jeans offer no more protection than the jacket due to the tears and holes in the legs. The brown felt gloves covering her hands are most likely the warmest clothing on her body._

_She comes to an old, rundown brick apartment building and steps into the lobby. An old woman sitting in a chair with a toddler at her feet smiles and waves at her. She waves back, her smile so shy it's almost unnoticeable on her pouty, pink lips. She pushes her thick black horn-rimmed glasses up on her nose and starts the long trek upstairs._

_The apartment building's stairwell is cold and dim, each landing lit only by one bare light bulb hanging from the bottom of the landing above it. She finally exits the stairwell on the fifth floor and steps into the hallway. _

_The hallway isn't any better lit than the stairs, but it's much warmer. The floor is covered by a cheap, ragged red carpet. There are doors on both sides of the hall all the way to each end of the building. She turns left and stops at Apartment 519. Pulling a key from her jeans pocket, she unlocks the door and goes in, shutting the door behind her._

_She pulls off her gloves, tucks them into the pockets of her coat, and then takes the coat off and hangs it on the coat rack beside the door. The apartment is warm and cozy, but tiny. She steps into the living room where a little boy and girl are sitting on the floor, playing with buttons. They both look about six. The girl has long brown hair in two plaits, big, innocent blue eyes, fair skin, and is wearing a blue and white striped flannel nightgown. The boy's hair is cut close to his head and is the same shade as the girl's, as are his eyes, and he's wearing flannel pajamas that match her nightgown._

"_Hi, doves." she whispers to them as she passes._

"_Hi, Maddie!" they chorus back to her. She heads into the kitchen. A woman in her mid-forties is standing in front of a stove, stirring a pot of soup. She's pretty despite her age, with grey hair cut into a sharp, stylish bob, blue eyes, and slightly weathered, wrinkled skin. She's wearing a grey, knee-length skirt, a cream-colored turtleneck, and a white waist apron._

"_Hey, Mom." Maddie says softly. The older woman turns her head._

"_Hello, my darling." she says, giving her a weak smile. Maddie hugs her mother quickly, then leaves the kitchen and heads down the hallway. She opens a door to what is obviously her bedroom._

_It's a rather small room, but it's cheery and comfortable. The walls are covered with photographs and posters, but what little bare wall can be seen is white. A twin bed is nestled against one wall. A shelf is over the head of the bed, holding books with such titles as "The Giver" and "Scandinavian Ghost Stories". A patchwork quilt covers the bed. An upside down milk crate serves as a nightstand, with a small desk lamp and an old fashioned, wind up alarm clock on top of it. On the other side of the room is a tiny closet, just big enough to hold the three skirts, two sweaters, and four dresses she has, with room for her three pairs of shoes at the bottom. Next to the closet is a small dresser that most likely holds all of her other clothes. On top of the dresser is an assortment of nail polishes, eye shadows, lip glosses, and a brush and comb. Hanging above it is a small, dingy mirror. She glances at her reflection, frowns, and lies down on her bed, her hair fanning out around her._

_It's no secret that she's exhausted, for she falls asleep in seconds. She looks so peaceful just lying there. Her mom calls out that dinner is ready, but she sleeps on. _

_Later, when everyone else is asleep, a noise outside rouses her. Rolling out of bed, she creeps to the door to peek out into the hall. A tall, strong-looking young man is standing there, looking livid. His cold brown eyes are full of fury; his close-cut brown hair covered in raindrops._

"_What do you want, Jake?" Maddie whispers groggily. Without a word, Jake grabs her roughly by the collar of her shirt and yanks her out into the hall, eliciting a startled cry from her lips. He shuts the door and slams her against the opposite wall._

"_You little slut! What were you doing over at Mark's house?" he demands, his face inches from hers. She struggles against his grasp._

"_Let me go, Jake! What are you talking about?" Her voice is strained._

"_You know dang well what I'm talking about, Maddie!" he hisses. She tries to squirm away, resulting in his grip tightening on her. _

"_I promise you, Jake! I don't know what you mean!" she cries. He slaps her and throws her to the floor._

"_You're just a lying little freak, Maddie! You'd better stay away from him. Stay away from everyone! Don't forget: You still belong to me!" he snarls, kicking her in the side. _

"_Y-you jerk." she whispers, tears streaming down her cheeks. He sneers, turns away, and leaves, slamming the door to the stairwell behind him._

Derek McPhee jolted awake, sitting straight up in his bed. A cold sweat was pouring down his skin, making him feel clammy and uncomfortable. A cloud of confusion was hanging over him.

This was the third dream this week he'd had about that Maddie girl! In each one, someone was hurting her. Last time, Jake and a couple other boys had cornered her in an alley and beaten her to the point where she blacked out. And before that, her father had come home drunk and beaten her with a belt!

Who was this girl?


	2. Chapter 2

Deciding to forget about it for now, Derek fumbled for his alarm clock to check the time. Five A.M! He groaned and rolled out of bed. Mornings were not really his cup of tea.

Half-blindly, he stumbled to the bathroom. He shed his pajamas, cranked on the water in the shower, and stepped into the steamy, comforting blast. The warm water felt good against his slick, clammy skin. He squirted some shampoo into his hand and rubbed it into his thinning brown hair.

As he started to wash his body, he couldn't help but relive the dream. Or, more specifically, who was in it. Maddie…..God, she was beautiful, even when she cried. If she were real…Oh, he'd make sure she never hurt enough to have to cry. She would be constantly adored by him. He'd treat her like the queen she deserved to be. She would never feel lonely. No, not if she was with him. He would spend every moment he could with her. If she would return the affection, which he was sure she would, he'd give her the world. If only she were real…

Derek sighed, turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower. The sudden burst of cold air outside of the shower almost knocked him off balance. He shivered and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Careful to not drip any water on the floors, he walked back to his room to get dressed. He stood at his closet, deciding what to wear. After about ten minutes (give or take) he decided on his charcoal-grey jacket and pants, a lavender button-down shirt, and a baby blue bowtie with lavender polka dots. He pulled on his clothes and shoes, ran a comb through his hair, and headed out the door to face another day at work.

Seventeen-year old Madeleine Anderson sighed and searched for something decent to wear. Normally, she would just throw on jeans and a tee, but today…today was different. You see, today she had a job interview at the Museum of Natural History. She was going to try to get a job there as a docent.

She finally picked out a dark brown pencil skirt, an orange Henley-type of shirt, and ballet flats in a shade of orange that matched her shirt (that she'd borrowed from her mother). She got dressed and pulled her long, chestnut-brown hair back into a bun. Then she left her room, and the apartment, to try her luck.

She walked to the bus stop and made it just in time for the bus to pull up. Hurriedly, she sprinted up the steps, dropped fifty cents into the change collector, and found a seat at the back of the bus. Once she was settled, she took out the book she was reading for her English class: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

After about twenty minutes, the bus pulled up to the stop by the museum. Madeleine hopped off and half-ran up the stairs to the door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and went in. She walked to the circulation desk. A young-looking woman, early twenties to early thirties, with curly brown hair was sitting at the desk, looking at something on a computer.

"Um….excuse me?" She whispered. The other woman looked up and smiled.

"Hello. Can I help you?" she asks. Madeleine smiled shyly.

"I'm, uh, looking for…Rebecca Hutman. I sort of have an interview today…" Madeleine said.

"Well, that's me! You must be Madeleine, right?" she asks. Madeleine nodded.

"Great! Well, pull up a chair and we'll get started." Madeleine eagerly obeyed, sitting in a chair next to Rebecca.

"Okay, so, first things first…You've brought your resume?" Rebecca questioned in a business-like tone. Madeleine nodded and carefully withdrew a bright orange folder with the words "Important!" neatly printed on the front in black ink. She opened the folder, drew out to pieces of paper (conveniently stapled together, I might add) and handed them to Rebecca. Rebecca smiled and skimmed through it.

"Let's see…twenty hours of volunteer work, plenty of good references…Looks great! How does a seventeen-year old know how to write her own resume?" Rebecca teased. Madeleine blushed.

"My mom sort of helped me." she admitted. Rebecca laughed.

"No shame in that. Now, are you better at communicating with children or elderly people?" Rebecca asked. Madeleine thought for a minute.

"Probably children. I can't talk very loud." she said after a moment. Rebecca nodded.

"And what sort of hours would you be willing to work?" Again, Madeleine considered the question thoughtfully before she answered.

"Any I could get, really. I don't have anything else to do." Rebecca grinned.

"Wonderful! Well, I think that's all I need. You've got the job!" Madeleine grinned along with her.

"Really? I do?" Rebecca nodded, laughing.

"Yeah! You can start Monday!" Rebecca sounded almost as excited as Madeleine felt. Her jaw was starting to hurt a bit from smiling so wide, but she didn't really mind. She'd gotten a job!

As though reading her thoughts, Rebecca patted her on the arm.

"Welcome to The Museum of Natural History!"


	3. Chapter 3

Derek sighed. This was definitely not his day! It was only one in the afternoon and he'd already received about nine confusing emails about a traveling exhibit on famous American writers. One of them had said the exhibit wouldn't be available until the following year, while another said that it would be available next Tuesday! Still, another said that it was available in March, but that it would be missing Emily Dickinson because she'd somehow been decapitated. (This actually frightened him to some extent.) What was more: the emails were all from the same person!

There had also been a couple rather nasty incidents involving children and the exhibits. Whether it was children climbing on the exhibits, or children throwing things at the exhibits, or even children vomiting on the exhibits! Derek was beginning to regret coming in to work today. He could've called in sick, stayed in bed, maybe had another dream aobut Maddie….

Knock knock! Derek winced. The sound of a fist pounding on his door reminded him painfully of his very migraine-like headache.

"Come in!" he called irritably. Like a ray of annoyingly cheerful sunshine, Rebecca bounded into the room, humming.

"Good afternoon, Dr. McPhee!" she chirped pleasantly.

"Is it really? What's so good about it?" Derek growled. Rebecca simply smiled indulgently at him.

"Well, it just so happens that I've gotten the docent position filled!" she remarked, brandishing a file folder to him. He took it from her and flipped through the pages.

"Madeleine Anderson…seventeen years old…majoring in American History at Pruitt Academy…" He paused. "They have majors in high school?" Rebecca nodded.

"It's a new thing the school boards have installed." she explained. He nodded and kept reading.

"Available any hours…better with children…I suppose she's…" Something dawned on him. Madeleine…Maddie…seventeen years old….

He shook his head. Probably just a coincidence.

"Oh, and I've got her picture for her nametag in there, too. It's in the back. She's already fingerprinted and everything, too." Rebecca added. He flipped to the back and found the picture.

His eyes widened. It was her! Maddie! She was real!

He could feel his hands shaking as he looked at the picture. The orange shirt she was wearing looked amazing against her hair. Her smile was more vibrant than he'd ever seen it. (Of course, she hadn't had much reason to smile when he'd seen her…)

"Did she already leave?" he heard himself ask.

"Yes, sir. But she'll be back Monday at two-thirty. I've put her on the same hours as mine on weekends, but two-thirty to six on weekdays. She's still in school, after all." Rebecca replied promptly. He nodded, feeling numb.

Rebecca noticed the sudden change in her boss's demeanor; he was suddenly more awake and enthusiastic. There was even a small smile on his lips. She felt that it would be unwise to comment on it, though. You could never tell with Dr. McPhee.

After Rebecca left, leaving the folder with him, Derek felt like he was on top of the world. She was real!

He took out her picture again, grinning. She was so beautiful… He made a silent vow to himself to meet her Monday. He would go down to the desk at two-twenty, to "talk" to Rebecca about something; possibly the American writer's exhibit. Then he'd hang around for as long as possible until Maddie…er, Madeleine showed up. Rebecca would, of course, feel inclined to introduce them (as she always did whenever someone new started working at the museum). He wouldn't be his usual persnickety self; he'd make sure of that. He'd be charming, and polite, and kind to this girl. Then, maybe she'd take a liking to him. Maybe they could get to know each other a little better. (Well, she could get to know him, anyway, since he already knew so much about her already.) It was a foolproof plan!

All he had to do now was wait…


	4. Chapter 4

(So, first of all, I just checked this out: How weird is it that chapter 3 had 666 words?! Fuh-reaky! Second of all...I wanna give a big shout out to Yellowfruit, Katy, Ashley, and Grape: Thanks for the reviews, y'all! You guys rock!) Now...on to the story, yes?

Meanwhile, while Derek was plotting his every move for Monday, Madeleine was also making a plan.

She had to make sure that she was ready to go on Monday. Nothing could go wrong!

Sitting at the kitchen table, she drew up a plan. Her brother and sister were in the living room watching Jumanji, her dad was at work, and her mom was at Aunt Gertrude's house for some "sisterly bonding time". (Whatever that was.) Madeleine was virtually alone.

"So, here's the plan." she said to herself, studying the page in her notebook she'd written it on. She had a tendency to be a bit…OCD at times. "I wake up at four, as usual, get dressed, and catch the bus to school. I avoid Jake and his friends all day, maybe eat lunch in the bathroom, so I won't have to get stressed out over him. I'll ask to go the bathroom in last period so I can change out of my uniform. As soon as the bell rings, I bolt out to the bus stop. If I go straight there without stopping once, I'll have plenty of time before the bus gets there to start my homework. I'll check my hair and makeup on the bus, make sure I'm not looking to grungy. Then I'll get to the museum and do my best not to screw anything up!" It was a foolproof plan…wasn't it? Madeleine sighed and leaned back in her chair. She certainly hoped so. It would so totally suck if she was fired from this job on her first day. That had happened a lot lately…

A couple of months ago, she'd gotten a job at Starbucks and was canned on her first day. That whole day at school, Jake had been taunting her. He followed her around the campus with his cronies, Nick and Mark, talking loudly about what a "whore" she was. It had affected her so much that, later at work, she'd spilled Frappucinos on at least three customers, mixed up five orders, and told a customer to "Shove it" when he had become upset that there wasn't enough foam on his latte.

Then, there was that job at Denny's a week later. Pretty much the same things had happened that day, too. Well, that and this one incident involving her boss's tie and a blender… Long story short, way fired.

Hopefully, working at the museum would be different. There wouldn't be any blenders or Frappucinos to worry about. Although, there was still that whole chance that she could accidentally give the kids some wrong information. She tended to ramble when she was nervous, and she had no doubt she'd be nervous on Monday.

Her thoughts were cut short by a tugging on her shoulder. She looked down. Marie, her sister, stood there, looking forlorn.

"What's up, hon?" Madeleine asked her, brushing some hair out of her face.

"Something's wrong with the tape…" Marie said, looking incredibly disappointed.

"I'll be right there." Madeleine assured her. Marie smiled and went back to the living room. Madeleine watched her go, once again amazed at how much Marie looked like her at that age. (Six) The only difference was that Marie's hair was longer. Madeleine had always kept her hair to about her shoulders, but Marie's was almost to her waist! She smiled and stood up, walking into the living room.

Back at the museum, Derek was finishing up some paperwork. As soon as he finished with it, he'd be going home. He couldn't wait! He planned to do some serious sleeping when he got home. Not because he was tired, mind you, but because he wanted to see Maddie. He wanted to see how she was doing, how she was feeling about getting this job.

Smiling mirthlessly, he finished with the paperwork and stood up. How sad was this? He was looking forward to seeing a girl he'd never met before live her life, completely unaware of him watching.

"How pathetic." he chided himself. "You could do the same thing by flipping on the television." Shaking his head, he left his office and made his way outside to where his car was parked. While he walked, he argued with himself.

"Well, it's not like you've got anything else to do." said optimistic, dreamer Derek.

"But you're scheduling your whole life around seeing her!" cut in pessimistic, sensible Derek. Optimistic Derek, who we'll now refer to as Derek #1, went quiet. "And you're technically not even seeing her! You're just watching her, like a stalker." Derek #1 mentally rolled his eyes at Derek #2.

"Oh, please. You're no stalker! It's not like you asked for this to happen. Though, you _are_ glad it did, right? I mean, Maddie's the most beautiful girl you've ever seen! And you know just as well as I do that she would be perfect for you!"

"You don't even know her!" protested Derek #2.

"But you know enough!" reassured Derek #1. "You know enough about her home life to seem sympathetic and understanding if she talks to you. Which she _will_. And you know enough about her interests that you could start a conversation with her."

"What does _that_ matter? Even if you _do_ talk to her, you'll _still_ come off as an ass, just like you always do. It doesn't matter how hard you try not to. It's just your nature."

"It is _not_ my nature!" Derek suddenly shouted, earning himself an odd stare from the homeless man sitting on the bench he'd just passed. Dereks 1 and 2 quieted, leaving regular Derek all alone. "Er…"

He hurried to his car, his face burning. Sliding in, he shakily put the key in the ignition. The car sputtered for a moment, but weakly started. Derek sighed and drove home. He should've brought his car to the shop weeks ago! It was already on its last legs. But he just couldn't bring himself to spend that sort of money when it probably wasn't anything important. It just didn't seem sensible!

A couple miles away, Madeleine was leaving her apartment for the second time that day. She'd changed her clothes, now wearing a simple red t-shirt with the CCCP logo on it, jeans, and sneakers. She was headed to her friend Simon's apartment down the street. They were going to study for the History test on Monday. The teacher, Mr. Ramos, had promised them that it would be extremely difficult. (Not that they couldn't handle it, being an AP class and all…)

She smiled to herself as she walked. Her friend Christian never called him "Mr. Ramos". He called him "Ramosa". Christian was going to be there, too, along with his girlfriend Nadia. The four of them had "Ramosa" for the same period. That was how they'd met, actually, in his class.

When she got to Simon's building, she jogged up the stairs to the second floor. She knocked rapidly on the door of 319. It opened, revealing a tall Hispanic boy with shoulder-length black hair that covered his eyes, wearing a baggy black t-shirt and even baggier jeans.

"Mads!" he cried, hugging her.

"Simon!" she replied, hugging him back. He let her in and led her to the kitchen.

"The others are already here." Simon informed her. They entered the kitchen. Madeleine smiled at the sight of her friends.

Christian was an extremely tall Black boy, with a completely shaved head, bright green eyes, and very shiny, smooth skin. People often joked that he looked like his skin was painted on. He was wearing a dark purple shirt in the same style as Simon's and skinny jeans.

Nadia was a petite, beautiful Asian girl. Her shoulder-length black hair was extremely curly. She was wearing a tight tank top that matched Christian's shirt, and jeans that were almost as tight as his. She had glasses similar to Madeleine's, but they were blue.

Madeleine soon found herself the victim of a group hug.

"Guys? Can't. Breathe." she choked out through the wall of arms encircling her.

"Deal with it, Mads." Nadia teased. Madeleine growled.

"Can we puh-lease get to studying?" Simon whined in an…oddly feminine-sounding voice. Madeleine was released.

"Sure thing, boss-ma'am! I mean…man." Christian said, saluting him and clicking his heels together.

Back at his apartment, Derek was heating up a Swanson's dinner. He didn't really feel like eating out tonight. Something was telling him it would be best to stay home. He tapped the kitchen counter impatiently as the time on the microwave ticked down. He knew, deep down inside, that tapping wouldn't make it go faster, but that didn't really stop him.

He sighed, closing his eyes. This was going to be a long night. He had planned to eat dinner and go straight to bed, but he'd received a phone call regarding an error in the Museum's brochure that he had to resolve. Apparently, one of the museum's most generous donors, Jeffrey Mullins' name had been severely misspelled. (Although, Derek had to admit, it _was_ quite humorous, Jeffree Muffins.) He smiled to himself.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Derek opened to microwave and took out the tray. Steam and the scent of overcooked vegetables filled the air. He sat at the table to eat.

"Oh, if only my old colleagues could see me now." he thought bitterly. "They were all jet setting around the globe, drinking martinis on cruise ships with bleached blonde supermodels at their sides; I'm stuck in New York, eating TV dinners and pining over a girl I've never met. We'd all gone to Oxford, hadn't we? We'd all graduated with honors! Hell, I'd been valedictorian! And yet, there they are, prematurely-retired millionaires, and here I am, working at a museum in a stuffy office with people who hate me." He sighed. He finished eating, then dumped the tray into the garbage. Rubbing his neck exhaustedly, he went to his desk, switched on his computer, and prepared to correct the "Muffin dilemma".


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Don't get too confused. I couldn't think of anything interesting so I just skipped writing anything about Sunday and went straight to Monday, okay?)

Madeleine pulled her coat tighter around her body and quickened her pace, eager to get home for once. It was almost three in the morning, and she had her first day of work tomorrow. The darkness frightened her. She could feel things watching her from the shadows, leering at her. Invisible eyes stared out at her from the alleys.

She was running now; the sound of her black flats pounding against the concrete echoed around her. Her breath was coming in short, shaky gasps. The dim, flickering glows of the streetlamps guided her home. She felt so close to them, those streetlamps. They were like her: forgotten, alone, needing more than anything a change. Just a simple one. Whether it was a new bulb or a sunny day. Madeleine was one with the streetlamps of Wickery Avenue.

She entered her building and sprinted up the stairs to her floor, not paying attention to whomever happened to pass her. She had only one goal: to get home. She longed for the warmth she would find in her home, for the love she shared with her mother and siblings. But this was not to be.

You see, one of those people she didn't pay attention to when she passed was Jake. Good ol' Jake. He hurried after, catching up with her with barely any effort. Before she could sense his presence, Jake pushed her from behind straight into a wall. She cried out as her face knocked against the cold, rough bricks. She fell down at his feet. He sneered and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, hoisting her up and pinning her hard against the wall.

"Where you goin' in such a hurry, you little slut?" he growled at her. She aimed a kick at him. He dodged it and tightened his grip on her.

"Let go of me, you jerk!" she hissed. He chuckled mirthlessly.

"You've pushed me too far, Maddie. You're going to pay." His voice was low and threatening. With inhuman strength, he lifted her up, whirled around, and threw her down the stairs. A scream escaped her lips as she tumbled down the steps. His mocking laughter filled her ears. When she finally stopped falling, she lay sprawled on the floor, bruised and sore, unable to move. She raised her eyes up to look at him, but he was gone. The world slowly started fading to black…

Less than three miles away, Derek McPhee sat bolt upright in his bed, panting for breath, his heart beating faster than it ever had before.

(Sorry about the extreme shortness, guys. lolz But chapter 4 was really long, so...get over it. lolz XD I love you guys!)


	6. Chapter 6

With tears brimming in his eyes, Derek rolled out of bed and went through his morning routine: shower, get dressed, breakfast. When all that was through, it was already five-forty-five. He grabbed his briefcase and sprinted out to the parking lot to his car.

He unlocked the doors and slid in, sighing as he leaned against the comfortable seat. He put the key in the ignition and turned. Nothing. He tried again. A sputter, a jerk, and…nothing more. Cursing silently to himself, he got out, relocked the car, and headed for the bus stop at the front of the building. He double checked his pockets, making sure he had his wallet (which just so happened to have his bus pass in it). Finally, he sat on the bench, leaning his head back.

Was Maddie okay? Had that been happening at that very moment? Was she, right now, lying crumpled and unconscious at the bottom of a flight of stairs? Derek wrung his hands nervously. What if she was? What if she ended up being unable to come to work? Oh, God…He wouldn't let himself believe it. She'd come. She had to!

In a cloud of exhaust, the bus pulled up. Derek stood, took out his pass, and got on. He slid the card through the machine and headed to the back. The bus was pretty empty, save for a group of six teenagers in school uniforms huddled together in the very back and an old woman in the front. He slid into a seat three seats away from the teenagers. It was one of the seats that faced the window, so he had a side view of them. Their uniform looked extremely familiar, but he couldn't remember why.

There were three boys and three girls. One of the boys was a tall, bald, light skinned black boy. His arm was around a petite Asian girl next to him, her head resting against his. They each had an ear bud coming out of one of their ears, and the boy was holding an iPod.

Next to them was a shorter, Hispanic boy with extremely long black hair that fell in front of his face, hiding his eyes and nose. One of the girls, not the Asian, had her head on his shoulder, his hair blocking her face. He was reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Derek guessed the girl was asleep.

Beside them, the other girl and boy were also reading Wuthering Heights. They looked very much alike, both having scraggly, dirty blonde hair (though the girl's was to her waist and the boy's was to his ears), wide blue eyes, and fair skin. They were even the same height! Derek assumed they were twins.

Suddenly, the Asian girl burst out laughing, causing the blondes to jump.

"What's so funny, Nads?" the blonde boy asked quietly. His voice sounded extremely groggy.

"Th-this song!" she choked out, also in an extremely groggy voice.

"Which one?" This was from the Hispanic boy. His voice held the same quality.

"That one by Hayley Westenra. Wuthering Heights? She sounds like a ghost!" the Asian girl responded, giggling. The black boy kissed her head.

"Calm down, babe." he murmured. She giggled again.

"TNT. I'm dynamite." sang a soft voice from under the Hispanic boy's hair.

"Are you finally awake?" the Hispanic boy asked. The girl remained silent.

"Is she talking in her sleep again?" the blonde girl asked.

"Probably." the Hispanic boy muttered. "Hey, Mads. Awaken." He lightly shook the girl's shoulder. Derek's ears perked. Mads?

"Uh-uh." whined his hair quietly.

"We're almost at school." He leaned forward. Her head fell down, clunking on the seat.

"Ow!" she cried. She righted herself. Derek's eyes widened. It was her! Maddie! She looked around with a bemused expression on her face, as if she'd forgotten where she was. His whole body tensed up as her gaze fell upon him. She smiled weakly at him, flashing a peace sign. He returned it. (The smile; not the peace sign.) She looked back at the floor and started digging through her backpack. She withdrew a bright purple scrunchie and pulled her hair out of her face into a ponytail. The Hispanic boy watched her, his eyes widening.

"Woah. What happened?" he asked her.

"Hmm?" She turned her head to him.

"The side of your head. It's all…uh, well, messed up." She laughed tiredly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. She took out a small mirror and held it up to the right side of her face. Derek caught a glimpse; his eyes widened.

There were a number of dark bruises around her eye and cheekbone, as well as numerous scrapes. That must've been what happened when she'd been pushed down the stairs.

She was frowning. She must not have realized it was that bad.

"Oh, yeah. I, uh, fell down the stairs last night." she said.

"You fell." the blonde boy repeated disbelievingly.

"I must've. I woke up this morning at the bottom." He frowned.

"You. Fell." he repeated again. She nodded, looking at him innocently.

"Did a certain ex-boyfriend named Jake have anything to do with this?" the blonde girl cut in.

"Shhh!" Maddie hissed. She glanced around, as though to see if anyone heard. Her eyes met Derek's. He quickly looked away, his face burning.

"Hey!" the black boy exclaimed all of a sudden. He reached up and pulled the cord above his head. The bus slowed to a stop. "Almost missed our stop." The six of them stood, gathering their things, and started walking down the aisle to the doors. Maddie brought up the rear. As she exited the bus, she looked back and gave Derek a fleeting smile.

He felt as though he were flying for the rest of the ride.

Meanwhile, Maddie/Madeleine had just walked through the school gates with her friends. They all shuffled like groggy, adolescent zombies across the quad to meet up with the rest of the gang in the cafeteria. On the way, the other five were trying to get Maddie to spill what had happened.

"So, seriously, it was Jake, wasn't it?" Christian asked. Maddie bit her lip, pretending she didn't hear him.

"Nice weather, huh?" she commented, looking up at the sky. The blonde boy, whose name just happened to be Bradley, stepped in front of her, causing her to skid to a halt.

"Talk, Mads." he ordered. She tried to step around him to the right. Christian blocked her. She glanced to the left. Simon stood up, looking at her as though he dared her to try and get past him. Nadia and Brenda, the blonde boy's equally blonde twin, stepped up behind her. Maddie glanced around and, seeing that she was trapped, sighed in defeat.

"Crap." she muttered. "Okay, fine. But can we keep walking?" Reluctantly, the circle around her broke and they continued walking. As they walked, Maddie recounted the story for them, bit by bit, of everything Jake had said and done last night/this morning. When she was finished, a stunned silence fell over the group.

"That jerk." Nadia growled.

"He is so freaking dead." Simon added.

"It's fine, guys." Maddie said quickly, not wanting her friends to do anything rash.

"It is not fine! Mads, he pushed you down cement stairs! Lots of them! Were you not aware of this?" Bradley fumed. Maddie remained silent. Bradley's tone softened. "Why do you let him do this to you?" he asked. "You're not dating anymore. There's no reason to hold onto him." Maddie shook her head.

"If I say something, he'll get away from any trouble that starts. You know how he is!" Brenda slipped her arm around her friend, whose eyes were filling with tears.

"Let's just drop it for now, okay? We're upsetting her, and she's got a big day today! It's her first day at the museum after school!" she said. The others hushed, on the condition that this discussion was far from over.

After a couple more minutes of walking in silence, the groggy group reached their destination: the cafeteria. They made their way to the table that they had unofficially claimed at the beginning of the year. Two boys were already there, waiting.

One was short, stocky, and pale, with wavy, shoulder length, bright red hair and brilliant blue eyes. The other was taller, ganglier, with shorter, curly dark brown hair. The redhead, Gordo, smiled tiredly when he saw the approaching group.

"Hey, strangers!" he called. The group took their places at the table. The brown-haired boy, Alex, smiled shyly at Brenda. She returned the smile, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. Bradley rolled his eyes at them, laying his head down on the table.

"Need. Sleep." he groaned, closing his eyes. In seconds, he was snoring lightly. Meanwhile, Nadia had begun attempting to cover up Maddie's bruises with some heavy duty make up. Gordo, Brenda, Alex, Simon, and Christian had taken out Wuthering Heights and had resumed reading.

By the time the bell rang at 7:10, Maddie's face was relatively bruise-free, Bradley had regained a bit of energy from his nap, and the others had all reached somewhere between chapters nine and eleven.

After exchanging hugs and "see you"s, the group dispersed, heading to their homerooms: Bradley and Gordo to PE, Alex and Brenda to Art, and Nadia, Christian, Simon, and Maddie to History.


	7. Chapter 7

At promptly eleven, Derek was sitting at his desk, typing a letter.

"Dear… Mister… Mullins…" He dictated to himself. "On... behalf... of… the …entire …museum …staff …I …would …like …to …apologize… for… the… careless …error …regarding …your …name…"

So far, it'd been a pretty uneventful day. There'd been no vomiting incidents, at least. There was still a bit of confusion involving the American Writers exhibit, but the bit about Emily Dickinson being decapitated was, thankfully, cleared up. Emily was, in fact, quite put together, thank you!

By now, Derek was almost ripping out his hair in anticipation. Maddie would be here in less than three hours! This was like a dream come true! (No pun intended.)

Derek sighed and saved the letter to his documents. He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. What a wonderful surprise it'd been to see Maddie this morning…He'd had no idea she rode that particular bus! He made a note to himself to start "saving gas" and ride the bus in the mornings more often.

Those few minutes with her had been so precious, and yet so painful. It was exhilarating to see her in person, of course, but…It hurt him to see her as she was: in pain. He couldn't explain how it felt to know exactly what was wrong with her, and what had happened, but to not be able to say anything. By the time she'd gotten off with her friends, ("And given me that little smile", he reminded himself) his chest had positively ached with a longing just to reach out to her.

"Oh, Maddie…" he whispered to himself. He closed his eyes, imagining what it would be like to be with her. Well, not sexually, of course, considering she was only seventeen. But just…just to be close to her. What would it be like to have her trust? How would it feel to be able to look into her eyes and talk to her any time he wanted? He couldn't completely picture something so amazing happening to him.

_Brrrring! Brrrrring! _Derek almost jumped out of his chair. Groaning, he picked up his phone.

"Hello?"

"Uh, there's a Jeffrey Mullins on line three for you." It was Rebecca.

"Alright." He switched the line with a sigh. So much for uneventful…

Back at the prestigiously ghetto Pruitt Academy a while later, Maddie was sitting in her seventh period class: Biology. The teacher, Mr. Robertson, was standing at the front of the class, lecturing about monosaccharides and protons or something like that. The combination of five-syllable words and Mr. Robertson's monotonous drone was giving Maddie a headache. Nervously, she glanced at the clock. It was almost two-thirty. In less than ten minutes, the bell would ring, signaling the end of the school day.

"Madeleine!" Maddie jumped and looked back at Mr. Robertson.

"Yes, sir?" she responded tonelessly.

"Would you mind telling the class the difference between a monosaccharide and a polysaccharide?"

"Um…a monosaccharide consists of one sugar and a polysaccharide consists of many sugars." Mr. Robertson frowned, obviously disappointed that she had been correct.

"Right."

"Uh. Mr. Robertson?" Mr. Robertson sighed, as though in pain.

"Yes, Madeleine?"

"May I go to the restroom?"

"No." With that final statement, Mr. Robertson continued with the lesson.

When the dismissal bell finally rang, signaling the end of the day, Maddie was one of the first people out the door. Gordo and Brenda hurried to catch up with her.

The trio met up with the rest of the gang in the quad. From there, Maddie, Brenda, and Nadia dashed to the girl's restroom, while Gordo, Simon, Christian, Bradley, and Alex stood chatting and waiting for the girls.

The three loverly ladies made it to the restroom. Maddie quickly slipped into a stall, closed the door, and proceeded to take off her school clothes. Half-naked and shivering, she threw them over the door.

Nadia caught them and folded them neatly, sliding them into Maddie's bag. Brenda tossed Maddie the clothes she'd brought with her. This was nothing new; they'd helped her prepare for first-days-of-work numerous times before.

Gratefully, Maddie dressed. When she'd finished, she crept back out of the stall and went over to the mirror. Wordlessly, Brenda handed her a brush.

"I love you guys." Maddie murmured.

"What would you do without us?" Nadia kidded, helping her scrape her chestnut locks into a loose bun.

"Crash and burn?" Maddie suggested. She touched up her foundation, making sure the bruises around her eye were invisible.

Brenda laughed and hugged her quickly.

"Most likely." she whispered. Maddie giggled. Nadia stepped back.

"Okay. You're ready." she proclaimed. Maddie turned around, first hugging Nadia, then Brenda, then both.

"I owe you guys big time."

Nadia and Brenda both grinned.

"Just don't forget to call tonight." Nadia said, patting her on the shoulder.

"And tell us everything." Brenda added. Maddie gave them a thumbs-up.

"You got it, boss ladies." The babe trio exited the restroom and rejoined the guys. The eight youngsters then continued on their way to the bus stop.

Meanwhile, Derek was sprinting to the lift. Dodging senior citizens and middle-aged mothers with toddlers, he hurled himself in and pressed the button to get to the first floor.

Down, down he went. As he stood listening to the sound of the blood rushing in his ears, he struggled to catch his breath. He'd drifted off at around one while sitting on his chair.

He had dreamed of Maddie, but only gotten flashes of what she was doing, instead of a whole "scene". She'd gone to Biology class and sat through a long, monotonous lecture given by a skinny, blonde man with the eyes of a stalker behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

Ding! The lift doors slid opened, as it had arrived at its destination: the first floor. Nervously, Derek made his way out, smoothing his hair and straightening his clothes as he walked.

Looking like a man on a mission, he strode to the circulation desk where Rebecca sat looking boredly at the computer in front of her.

"Hello, Miss Hutman." Derek said when he reached the desk. Rebecca jumped.

"Dr. McPhee! How are you?" she asked, giving him a small smile.

"I'm very well, thank you. Er, listen, I had to, uh…" He trailed off, not really sure what his excuse was going to be.

"You had to…" Rebecca pressed.

"I, er, had to, erm…talk to you. About something. And…" What an idiot…

"Did you forget what it was?" Rebecca asked, smiling indulgently at him. Sheepishly, he nodded.

"Sort of."

"Or, maybe you're just eager to meet the new docent." she added innocently, looking back at the computer and resuming her typing.

"W-what?!" Derek gasped. "What are you…Why would you think…I mean, how…er…"

"She _is_ very pretty, isn't she?" Rebecca's voice was somewhat sly. "And very nice. You'd really love her."

'Oh, you have no idea.' Derek mentally assured her. On the outside, however, he just sighed.

"Fine. You caught me." he muttered. Rebecca smiled and nodded towards a chair next to hers.

"Just sit with me and wait for her." she insisted. Derek hesitated. "I won't bite!" He chuckled in defeat, slipped in through the door, and sat next to her.

"So…" he said awkwardly, staring at his knees.

"Yep…" she agreed, nodding and typing. Clickity-clack, clickity-clack…

"Did you, er, hear about the, uh, Jeffree Muffins incident?" he asked. She laughed.

"I did. That has got to be one of the most hilarious things I've ever read. He was pretty angry, though."

"Oh, I know. Those German men have quite a temper."

"Oh, definitely." Clickity-clack, clickity-clack…

"So, you and Dailey are getting married soon?"

"In March. You got your invitation, right?"

"No, actually."

"Really?" She stopped typing and dug through her purse. A minute later, she withdrew a cream-colored envelope and handed it to him. "I must not have sent it…"

He slid his finger under the seal and pulled out a card. It was white, and there was a rather cutesy picture of two angels (boy and girl) holding hands and standing on a cloud. Under them in swirly gold letters, it said "You're invited…"

He opened the card.

"You're invited to the Blessed Joining of Miss Rebecca Anne Hutman and Mister Lawrence Nicholas Dailey." It then gave the date, time, location, and other information about the wedding. At the bottom, it said "R.S.V.P" in the same swirly gold letters.

"I'll make sure I can come." Derek promised, slipping the card into the pocket of his jacket. Rebecca beamed.

"Great!"

And along came another awkward silence.

AN: Sorry for the wait, you guys....Bleccchhhh. I got major major writer's block. Nothing just seemed good enough, ya know. lolz Well, oh well. :) Thanks for not...killing me. XD


	8. Chapter 8

Her legs trembling, Maddie made her way up the steps of the museum.

_Too late to back out now_, she told herself. _Just breathe._

Nervously, she opened the door and went in. There was Rebecca, sitting at the desk. Next to her was a middle-aged man wearing a very dapper suit and tie. He was a bit pudgy, and his brown hair was thinning and a bit oily-looking, but something about him made Maddie's stomach flutter all the same. Maybe it was the way he looked up when she came in. Maybe it was the knowing expression on his face. She didn't know for sure. But he did look familiar…Where had she seen him before?

"Maddie!" Rebecca chirped, grinning. Maddie smiled nervously at her.

"Reporting for duty, ma'am." She said, waving shyly and coming over to the desk. Rebecca laughed.

"It's a bit slow today, but we'll find something for you to do. Oh, Maddie, this is Dr. McPhee, the museum director. Dr. McPhee, this is Madeleine Anderson, the girl I was telling you about."

The man stood up and took her hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Anderson." He said, very formally.

_Holy potatoes!_ Maddie thought. _He's British, too? Cool!_

"Same to you, Dr. McPhee." She said softly. He released her hand. He looked a bit red in the face all of a sudden, and he was sweating a tiny bit.

"Well, if you'll, er, excuse me…I've got some papers I should take care of." And with that, he practically bolted. Maddie frowned.

"Did I offend him?"

"Oh, no." Rebecca said, laughing. "He's just kind of…eccentric. He probably remembered some big problem he had to take care of. Sit down?" Maddie smiled and went behind the desk, sitting next to Rebecca.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Maddie? Are you alright?" Rebecca asked.

"I knew I recognized him!" Maddie said, mostly to herself.

"Dr. McPhee?"

"He was on the city bus this morning! I flashed him a peace sign, and he smiled! I knew I wasn't crazy!" Rebecca smiled.

"I think he recognized you, too. Maybe that's why…" She trailed off.

"Why…" Maddie pressed. Rebecca smirked.

"Well, if you won't tell him I told you…" Maddie mimed zipping her mouth shut. Rebecca laughed. "He came down here just so he could meet you."

"Seriously?"

"Mhmm!"

"Wow." Maddie laughed nervously.

So, the bus man was the boss man? Sweet!

Meanwhile, up in his office, Derek was sitting at his desk, revising the letter to Mr. Mullins and doing the mental version of a happy dance as he sat at his desk. He'd shaken her hand! He'd talked to her! He'd finally met his "dream girl"! (Pun slightly intended)

He wondered if she recognized him from the bus, and if she knew if he'd seen the bruises and heard the conversation. Would that make it awkward for her?

Dismissing this thought, he focused his attention on one thing and one thing only: finishing Mullins' letter and getting it sent.

By the end of the day, Derek had not only succeeded in getting the letter finished and sent, but he'd also managed to clear up the rest of the confusion about the American Writers exhibit. He felt as though he was on a roll!

At six, Derek started gathering his things, packing papers he needed to go over that night in his briefcase. With a bit of a spring in his step, he left his office and made his way to the lift, then paused. Why not take the stairs? He grinned, humming quietly to himself as he went to the stairs. He started to descend, but stopped again. Who was he kidding? He would never make it all the way down! He went back to the lift.

Back on the first floor, Maddie was chatting with Rebecca as they stood by the doors, both of them not completely willing to leave the warm building for the cool evening air.

"So, you've read Wuthering Heights?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah. I loved it!"

"Have you heard the song?"

"Song?"

"There's a song by, um…you know what? I have the CD in my bag if you want to borrow it."

"Okay!"

"Hang on…" Maddie dug through her bag for a moment, producing a plastic CD case. The label on it said "Nerd Jamz". "It's number four on here."

"Okay, great. Thanks!" Rebecca smiled, then hugged Maddie quickly. "It's so nice to have someone else working here. Not many people stay very long. Dr. McPhee…well, he scares people sometimes."

"Really? He seems nice."

"Well, I'm sure you're one of the only people who thinks so. Oh, here he comes." Maddie looked where Rebecca was looking. Indeed, there was Dr. McPhee. He seemed very happy, which seemed to scare Rebecca, which confused Maddie. It was really just one big, emotional, non-sexual orgy, to be honest.

"Evening, ladies!" Dr. McPhee/Derek said jovially, joining them at the doors. Rebecca raised an eyebrow at Maddie.

"Evening, Dr. McPhee." Rebecca said carefully. Dr. McPhee/Derek laughed, smiling brightly at the two confused females.

"Um, I think I'll just go wait for the bus now." Maddie said quickly. "Bye, Rebecca. Bye, Dr. McPhee." She started to edge away.

"Hey, I'm riding the bus, too. Remember?" Dr. McPhee/Derek said quickly. Maddie laughed.

"Yes, I do. Well, still…I'm just gonna, um…go." And she quickly walked out. Rebecca continued to stare at Dr…Derek. (AN: Just screw it. I'm calling him Derek from now on.)

"You seem incredibly chipper, Dr. McPhee." She said cautiously.

"I've, er, finally gotten the letter sent to Mullins." Derek said quickly.

"That's good…Tone it down some, though. I think you're scaring her." Derek winced. Rebecca was undeniably, _annoyingly_ observant.

"You think so?" he asked.

"Definitely. And you're scaring me, as well. So, see you tomorrow." Rebecca patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and left. Derek sighed, took a deep breath, and walked outside to the bus stop, pulling his bus pass out of his wallet as he went.

Maddie was sitting on the bunch, reading. Derek's heartbeat sped up, making it harder to breathe. She looked so beautiful, so…perfect.

Her hair fell like a curtain over the side of her face, the ends just barely touching the page of her book. Nervously he sat on the other edge of the bench. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Hi, Dr. McPhee." She said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Hello, there. What, um, what are you reading?" he stuttered out. Dear God, he was hopeless…

"Um, Wuthering Heights." She said, shrugging. "It's for school."

"Oh? Interesting." Maddie smiled. "Look, I'm, er, sorry if I seemed a bit odd back there…I'd just finished writing a letter, and I was a bit happy about it."

"Oooh. A letter, huh?" She winked at him, closing her book and slipping it into her bag.

"Yes. You see, in the Museum brochure, one of our most generous benefactors' name was…severely misspelled, so I wrote him an apology."

"Oh." She laughed. "That's nice of you."

"I suppose. So, er…how was your first day?"

"Oh, interesting. I showed some kids around, told someone where the bathroom was…pretty cool."

"Well, perhaps tomorrow will be more exciting."

"Oh, today was exciting enough. I'm easily excited." Derek smiled, mentally confirming this. He'd "seen" her right before her Biology class, as well. Her friend Gordo had merely mentioned a band she liked, and Maddie had started chattering on about their latest song, and how "awesome" it was, and how they sang the truth…It had been rather amusing, really.

"Well, that's good, then. To be honest, not a lot of people come to the museum." He said.

"I don't see why not. It's really amazing." She glanced down the street. "Oooh! The bus!" Derek looked down the street. Indeed, the bus was heading towards them.

"Good eye, Miss Anderson!" he teased. She blushed.

"Oh, please, Call me Maddie, Dr. McPhee." She insisted, standing up and pulling some quarters out of her pocket.

_I'd rather call you Mrs. McPhee, to be honest. _He thought, watching her as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. He stood as well.

"Very well, _Maddie_." He said with a smile. Finally being able to have a justifiable reason for saying it out loud felt nice.

She smiled shyly at him.

The bus pulled up, the doors opening immediately. He stepped aside, letting her get on first. She blushed as she stepped up. Repressing a grin, Derek followed her on.

(AN: Sorry for the long break. Hahahaha It was a literally a break. I fractured a bone in my left hand, so I've been in a cast for most of the summer, while Chapter 8 waited half-finished in my documents. I recently discovered I could slip out of my cast, so I was able to finish the chapter. :) Hope you guys enjoy it. And it may not be compliant with the sequel, since I still haven't seen it due to a lack of funds and/or transportation. Muchos lovin, everyone! XD )


	9. Chapter 9

Maddie watched Dr. McPhee over the cover of her book.

She was sitting in the back, and he was in one of the seats that faced the opposite window, right in front of her. He was staring almost determinedly out the window, as though he would be shot dead if he looked around. Maddie bit her lip. Had she offended him somehow?

She tried to concentrate on the words on the page in front of her, but found him to be a distraction. Or, rather, the thoughts in her mind about him were the distraction. He wasn't doing anything distracting.

He'd acted so nervous around her for some reason. That stuttery, overexcited, jumpy, hyper thing that he'd had going on when they were on the bench. And he was sweating like mad, as though he had just run a mile in his suit. (The color of which suited him nicely, Maddie couldn't help but note. Was he gay?)

She did a quick, subtle sniff check. Nope, she didn't smell. At least, she didn't think she did. She'd taken a shower this morning! And used some of that body spray Mom had gotten her at the dollar store, some generic stuff that smelled like a mixture of soap and fabric softener, but was titled, rather ostentatiously, "Refreshing Summer Breeze". That stuff didn't smell too bad. Did it? Sure, it wasn't Chanel No. 5, but it wasn't Eau de Skunk, either. Maybe it smelled cheap to him. Maybe she smelled like she couldn't afford to pay attention, let alone buy a decent perfume.

If that was the case, what right did he have to judge her by her body spray? Maybe she liked the smell of fabric softener. Maybe it defined her as a human. Maybe deep down, she was really Maddie, the Fabric Softener Girl. What right did he have to judge her by that? To Hell with him.

Just then, he chose to glance at her. He gave her a nervous smile. She scowled at him, returning to her book. Stupid jerk.

"Er, Maddie?" he said cautiously.

"I don't care what you think, Dr. McPhee. I smell perfectly fine!" she snapped, holding the book up to her face, trying to block herself from view.

Meanwhile, back at the museum, Larry Dailey was walking through the museum, making sure everything was as it should be. Rexie was chasing his bone, Jedadiah and Octavius were playing rock, paper, scissors, and Teddy and Sacajawea were acting like two blushing school children. All was right. Or so it seemed. Larry had this slight sense of unease as he paced through the exhibits.

He made his way to Ahkmenrah's "tomb". Ahk wasn't there, but the tablet was. Larry examined it carefully. Something seemed off about it, but he couldn't figure out what.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. Surely Ahk would've noticed if something were wrong with the tablet. It was _his_, after all.

Deciding to just forget about it for now, he walked around aimlessly for a while. Once or twice he'd have to stop and pull the Civil War guys apart, or to get Attila to stop picking on the cavemen, but the evening was otherwise, and he had many wonderful opportunities to think about Rebecca and their upcoming nuptials.

Back on the bus, Derek was staring at Maddie, perplexed.

"I, er…What?" he stuttered. She didn't respond, nor did she look up from her book. He sighed.

With his legs trembling, and all common sense telling him to stop and just ignore her, he got up from his seat and went over to her, sitting next to her. Her body tensed up, but she otherwise ignored him.

"Maddie…I agree: You do smell fine. But what's that got to do with anything?" Oh, God. Did he really say that?

Maddie looked up at him, frowning.

"I mean…um…Did I insinuate that you, er…" He trailed off, making a note to cut his hands off and beat himself over the head with them when he got home.

Maddie flinched and put down her book.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just been a long day. I'm really not myself right now." She murmured, looking embarrassed. Her cheeks had a reddish tint to them. Derek couldn't help but swoon a little. (Which is not the manliest thing to do, mind you.)

"It's, er, understandable." He said quickly.

She really did smell good, like fabric softener.

Derek liked fabric softener.

AN: Sorry for the long wait/short chapter. It seemed so much longer when I was working on it. (Yeah, I know. That's what she said.) Hopefully I'll be done with 10 by next weekend, or even before, but I won't promise anything.


	10. Chapter 10

Once he was back in his apartment, Derek felt as though he was floating.

For the whole bus ride, he and Maddie had chatted like normal people! (Well, semi-normal, anyway. It could hardly be considered normal that he dreamt about Maddie ever night.)

They'd discussed the museum, the bus system…He'd even told her about the Mullins/Muffins incident! She'd laughed at that, but had said it was still very good of him to apologize for the error, even though it wasn't his own. He'd glowed with pride at that.

His stop had been before hers, so he had been forced to tear himself away from his angel to get off the bus. It had hurt tremendously.

He was surprisingly giddy. It was understandable, of course. After all, less than two days ago, he'd assumed that Maddie was a figment of his imagination; a fantasy creature created by his lonely, middle-aged psyche. Now, he had not only found out that she really existed, but he had actually talked to her!

The giddiness still worried him, though. He felt as though he'd just chugged three pots of coffee. His alter-egos were excited as well, though each in their own way.

Derek #1 was ecstatic, having met Maddie and spoken to her and even (gasp) touched her hand! He could die happy.

Derek #2, however, was angry. Very angry. And scared. Very scared.

"How could you have just talked to her like that?" Derek #2 fumed. "Have you no shame? She's seventeen! You're…not. She's young and beautiful, and you're just old. Old and disgusting and fat and-"

Derek #1 gave Derek #2 a figurative slap upside the head.

"Shut up, you downer!" Derek #2 chided. "Just shut up!"

Derek was in for a long night.

---------------------

Meanwhile, back at Maddie's apartment, Maddie was fixing dinner for her father and the twins, her mother having already fallen asleep due to the extreme exhaustion caused by being a housewife and mother of three in Brooklyn. She hummed quietly to herself as she fixed her family some macaroni and cheese.

Today had been a really good day! She hadn't gotten fired immediately (or at all) which was definitely a good thing. She'd also seemed to make a good friend in Rebecca. The docent seemed sweet and intelligent, almost like an older sister.

Then there was Dr. McPhee, the eccentric museum director. He seemed to be an alright guy. A bit stuffy and paranoid, sure, but at least he hadn't gone ballistic when she'd went all crazy at him. The fact that he could hardly finish a sentence was kind of annoying, but the fact that he kept backtracking and putting his foot in his mouth was just adorable. Maybe he was pretty cool after all.

Sighing, she finished the delicious, cheesy, noodly concoction and took it off the stove. She went to the living room and poked her head in, telling her dad and the twins that dinner was ready. Then, before he could even get up, she bolted into her room.

Once safely in her room, she curled up in bed with her biology book. Mr. Robertson had assigned a major amount of homework tonight, so Maddie wanted to get some of it done tonight.

She'd already called Brenda and Nadia, telling them all about her first day. They had agreed that Rebecca sounded nice, and that the whole thing with Maddie thinking Dr. McPhee thought she smelled bad was purely hilarious. Brenda actually had the audacity to suggest that it sounded like maybe Dr. McPhee had a bit of a thing for her. Maddie retaliated by promising to give her a severe slap upside the head tomorrow morning. Nadia just laughed, knowing well enough by now to stay silent when the other two were arguing.

With promises to see each other in the morning and to keep the boys in line, they departed from their telephoning.

After about an hour, Maddie had gotten a good chunk of her homework finished. Sure, it wasn't a lot (about three pages) but it was enough for the night. Smiling to herself, Maddie rose from her bed, grabbed her pajamas, and walked to the bathroom.

Once inside, she stripped off her clothes and cranked on the water in the shower. Once it was the right temperature (Maddie hated cold water), she stepped in and proceeded to wash off the dirt of the day, relishing the feel of the warm water.

All of a sudden, Maddie heard a flushing noise. The water in the shower turned scalding hot. She cried out in shock. A small giggle caught her attention, as well as the pitter-patter of running feet.

"Matt!" she screamed, annoyed. Her anger faded away after a moment, though, and she laughed. It _was_ kind of funny…

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She looked up at the fogged up mirror, then back down. She did a double-take. What in the world…?

She shook her head and sighed, starting to put on her pajamas. She was obviously in need of some serious sleepage. She could've sworn she'd just seen Dr. McPhee in the reflection!

-------------------------

Back at Derek's house, Derek was lying in bed, blushing madly. He'd been lying there, minding his own…well, minding Maddie's business, really…when all of a sudden she'd gotten up and went into the bathroom! Since he was…connected to her somehow, he'd had no choice but to follow her.

He'd tried to force himself to wake up when she'd started to strip her clothes off, but he couldn't. He'd averted his eyes as much as he could, but…being a man…Ugh.

He'd stared at the floor when she was turning on the water, only looking up once he was sure she was in the shower.

She'd been singing to herself as she washed. Her voice was a little off-key, but sweet just the same. He wouldn't have minded her singing to him someday. He hadn't recognized the song, but it had something to do with that book she was reading: Wuthering Heights. He knew because he'd read the book himself as a teenager. Some of the lines just went so well with the book, it was impossible that it had to do with anything else: "Heathcliff, it's me-e, Cathy! I've come home, and I'm so co-o-o-old. Let me in your windo-o-ow!" And then the line: "Leave behind my Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights" really sealed it.

As he'd been listening to her sing, he'd vaguely noticed a little boy with brown hair sneaking into the bathroom. Derek had only really paid him any mind when the little boy's hand had snaked out to the flusher on the toilet, a wicked grin on his face as he pushed it down.

Maddie had cried out in either shock or pain. Derek winced and started to scold the little boy, but then remembered that he wouldn't hear him. The little boy giggled and ran out.

"Matt!" Maddie shrieked. Derek winced again. Suddenly the water cut off and Maddie stepped out of the shower. Derek froze. His mind told him to look away, but he felt like he couldn't move.

Maddie glanced carelessly into the mirror, then away from it, and then she quickly looked back up. For a moment, Derek was sure she saw him.

However, Maddie shook her head and muttered something about sleepage. Then she'd started to pull on her pajamas: a pair of blue and white boxers and a tight white tank top.

And then he woke up.

(AN: Bahahahaha. I just couldn't help it. Sorry. Lolz You knew it was gonna happen sometime! Oh, and the song I keep mentioning is called Wuthering Heights and it's by Hayley Westenra. It's the most bizarre song I've ever heard. You ought to check it out. Lolz


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning, Derek showered, dressed, and ate at a rapid speed, wanting to get to the bus stop as soon as he could. He was worried out of his mind.

He'd gone back to sleep last night after the "shower fiasco" and spent a while simply watching Maddie sleep. Suddenly, she'd woken up and groaned in pain, clutching her stomach.

"Oh, my God." She'd moaned. "What the heck?"

She'd curled up in a ball, hugging her knees. He'd caught a glimpse of her eyes before he'd woken up again. They'd been full of agony.

Now at the bus stop, Derek sighed and looked at his watch. Five fifty-five. He still had about five minutes. Ugh.

He leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. This was going to be a long wait.

------------ -----

Maddie was officially in agony. It was that time again. Ya know, "that time". Her Auntie Flo and Cousin T.O.M were paying a visit. Her subscription to the periodical had been renewed. The painters were in. Pick one.

She woken up around four this morning with mondo cramps and hadn't been able to get back to sleep. She'd popped some Ibuprofen before leaving the house, but it hadn't kicked in yet. She had the bottle in her bag, having accidentally shoved it into her bag before running out the door. She was screwed if they decided to do a random bag check again.

Her school was so uptight. Every week or two, the administrators would call a class down to the office and, one at a time, take them into a private room and search their bags. It was very annoying, and embarrassing if you were in this sort of…situation.

Now she was on the bus, using Simon for a pillow once again. He really didn't seem to mind, which was great.

"Hey, you're Dr. McPhee, right?" Brenda said suddenly.

"I am." It was Dr. McPhee. He sounded kind of nervous. (Shocker)

"Wanna sit with us?"

"Er, alright." Maddie felt a new presence next to her.

"Morning, Maddie." Dr. McPhee said.

"Morning, Dr. McPhee." Said Simon's hair/Maddie.

"Er, feeling alright?" She nodded. He didn't say anything.

"She nodded." Simon said. "Come on, Mads." He leaned forward. Maddie fell.

"Curse you." She muttered, rubbing her head and sitting up. Simon grinned at her wickedly. She looked at Dr. McPhee. "Sorry. Not much of a morning person."

"Oh, that's, er, perfectly understandable." He looked kind of…haggard.

"Are you feeling alright, Dr. McPhee?" Maddie asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Why?"

"You just look kind of tired."

"I am. I, er, didn't sleep very well last night."

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

"Huh?"

"Just joking." He smiled nervously. She laughed.

"Heathcliff! It's me! Cathy!" Nadia suddenly shouted. Christian, who was asleep on her shoulder, jumped.

"What, who…Nazis!" he cried, still half-asleep.

"Go back to sleep, babe." Nadia said through a fit of giggles. Maddie sort of scooted away, towards Dr. McPhee.

"So, anyway…" she said, looking at him. He chuckled. She smiled.

"You're sure you're alright?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, yes, sir. I'm fine. Why?"

"You just seem a bit…pained, I guess. And nervous."

"Well, er…"

"It's that time again." Simon said.

"Simon!" exclaimed Maddie.

"She's a-riding the cotton pony!" he continued in a Southern-sounding voice. Nadia grabbed him, covering his mouth with her hand and started talking into his ear. Maddie had the feeling she was threatening him somehow.

A very red-faced Madeleine Amelia Anderson glanced at Dr. McPhee. He smiled at her, almost paternally.

"That certainly explains your outburst yesterday." He teased. She laughed, feeling humiliated. He touched her arm lightly. "Relax. At least it's just once a month."

Yeah. He's totally gay, Maddie thought.

She smiled sheepishly.

"I guess." She said. He laughed.

"So, what else is wrong?"

"I, um, totally don't know you well enough to tell you that. No offense or anything."

"Oh, come on. You can trust me."

Maddie stared long and hard into his eyes. He didn't waver. She sighed and scooted closer to him, signaling for him to lean down some so she could tell him. He did so. She explained the whole Ibuprofen situation to him. When she was through, he didn't react at all like she'd expected. (She'd figured him as the "polite-but-awkward-cough kind of guy.)

"If you want, I could, er, take the bottle for you." He offered. "You could just slip a few pills in your pocket for later in the day. I could give it back to you at the museum."

Maddie's eyes widened. Was this guy for real?

"You'd really do that for me?" she gasped. He smiled.

"Of course I would." He assured her, not looking away from her eyes. Losing all control, she hugged him tightly. She was about to pull back, humiliated, when he returned the hugged. After a moment, he released her.

"You're officially the bomb." She informed him, her cheeks pink. She dug through her bag and withdrew the bottle. She took out a few pills, slipped them into the pocket on her skirt, and gave him the bottle. He slid it in the pocket of his jacket, giving her a secret smile.

A warm, fluttery feeling found a home in Maddie's stomach.

It's too bad he's gay, She thought to herself. He's really not that bad-looking.

AN: I know...not much drama going on right now. It's mostly just randomness. Blehh...I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little bit. It's so funny, though. I've been more focused on religiousness lately (I'm studying with Jehovah's Witnesses, FYI) and it's really amazing...I was going through this story, and I could actually spot where I started studying. lolz It's bizzarro. Anywho, don't worry, folks. I'm trying to think up some depressing stuffs for you.

Oh, and I made a Meez for Maddie...lolz I dunno. I got bored. This is what she looked like in my head, but just ignore it if it's not what you had in mind. The link is on my profile. :)


	12. Chapter 12

As the week went by, Maddie was positive that her life was taking a turn for the better.

So far, nothing extremely horrible had happened! She hadn't gotten fired from the museum yet, she wasn't behind in her classes, Jake hadn't attacked (or even spoke to) her at all. Yes, for once, Maddie felt like things were going her way.

Right now, it was Friday night and she was sitting at the kitchen table, working on her History homework. Sure, it wasn't due until Tuesday, but it wouldn't hurt to get it started. Besides, she, Christian, Simon, and Nadia were meeting at Simon's place Saturday evening to go over it as well as study for the huge test on Monday. They'd eventually get it all figured out.

Her parents had taken the twins out to see some Pixar movie about aliens, so she had the place

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. Warily, she got up and opened it.

There stood Jake, in all his tall, darkly handsome glory. He had tears running down his cheeks, as well as blood. Maddie felt her heart ache, but struggled to remain strong.

"Maddie…" he whispered, coming forward.

She slammed the door in his face.

"Maddie, please!" he shouted. "I need to talk to you! Please!" He really sounded desperate. Maddie realized what was going on: his dad was back.

See, she and Jake had started dating at the beginning of last year. He was that mysterious, bad ass older guy who had not only marched to the beat of his own drummer, but had decided on how the beat went, banging it out on his own drums.

He'd swept her off her feet with his intensity, his passion. They'd argue, and she'd try to walk away, but one look from his deep, dark eyes would pull her back in, the minnow to his shark.

They'd dated for a month before she found out his whole story. His mother was the sweetest lady, a Southern belle who'd migrated north from Georgia to attend art school. She was soft-voiced and vulnerable, and needed someone to take care of her. His father was a hardhearted man from Michigan who was raised to believe that the man was the head of the house, the king. Whatever he said went, and whoever dared to oppose him, whether wife or offspring, was to be smacked into submission. Of course, Jake's mom hadn't known this at first. All she'd seen was a handsome man with strong arms and a sturdy voice. She fell into his trap, and had been that way ever since.

However, Jake's father turned out to be more abusive than imaginable, as well as a drinker. He'd come home every night, slobbering drunk, and start yelling at his wife and Jake for no reason. He'd often leave for weeks or even months at a time, telling his wife that he was leaving for good, but always deciding to "forgive her" and come back home.

The first time Maddie had realized how truly serious all of this was was when his father had returned after being gone for three months. It was in the second month they'd been together. He'd called her, sounding miserable, and asked her to please, please, please meet him down in the stairwell on his floor. She'd agreed.

When she'd gotten down there, Jake had been slumped against the wall, sitting on the floor. He was sobbing into his knees. She'd touched his shoulder. He'd looked up at her. His face was bloody, having been hit with a bottle. She'd taken him back up to her apartment. Her mom, sweet woman she was, asked no questions about what had happened but still tended to his wounds.

And that was why, now, she slowly opened the door back up. She reluctantly let him in. He entered gratefully, throwing his arms around her. She closed the door and led him to the couch, letting him cry on her shoulder. His tears soaked through her shirt.

Right now, he didn't look like the scary, cruel man she knew he was. He looked like a lost little boy, crying for his mama. Maddie rubbed his back soothingly.

After a good ten minutes of sobbing into her shoulder, he straightened up, looking at her awkwardly.

"He's back, huh?" she asked softly. He nodded, laying his head back on her shoulder.

"I miss you, Maddie." He whispered, his eyes swimming with tears. "I need you. Why won't you take me back?" She sighed, resisting every urge she had to scream "I will!" and kiss him crazy.

"We're not right for each other, Jake. And you hurt me." She said gently.

"I promise, I'll change, Maddie. I won't hurt you again." He pleaded. "Please…I love you."

Her breath caught n her throat. He knew what that did to her, what happened when he said that to her. He had her then. She'd bend to his will when he said that.

Struggling to stay strong, she tried to remember just what he'd done that was so bad in the first place. Honestly, what did a few slaps really matter? A few punches? A broken rib? All those names? Nothing, right? He loved her, and he'd promised he'd change, hadn't he? So, why not?

"You…you promise?" she asked, looking him deeply in the eyes.

"Cross my heart." He agreed. She smiled.

"Okay." He grinned.

"Really?" Still time to back out, Maddie…

"Really."

Looking happier than she'd seen him in weeks, Jake pulled Maddie in for a kiss. Maddie forced herself to get lost in his lips, pushing away every single little regret or doubt in her mind.

(AN: Sorry for the shortness/suckiness of the chapter. Ugh. IDK...I'm really not too sure about this fic anymore. Should I just abandon ship now?)


	13. Chapter 13

Derek was furious! He was positively enraged!

He'd drifted off in his chair last night, watching the news. He'd found himself in Maddie's kitchen, watching her work on homework. It was a particular cozy evening, just the two of them. (Er, one of them.)

Suddenly, there'd been a knock at the door. Maddie had gotten up to answer it. Derek watched her open the door.

From his angle, he couldn't quite see who was at the door. However, he recognized the voice, the feeble murmur of "Maddie…" before Maddie angrily slammed the door. It was Jake, that no good son of a bitch who'd been beating her up.

"Maddie, please!" Jake shouted. "I need to talk to you! Please!" Maddie froze. Her eyes grew cloudy, nostalgic. After a moment, she turned back to the door and opened it. She stepped back, letting him in.

He came in, hugging her tightly. Derek saw that Jake's face was running with tears and blood. He knew that nothing good could come of this.

Maddie lead Jake to the couch. They sat down, and she let him cry into her shoulder for ten minutes.

"He's back, huh?" Maddie asked softly when he'd calmed down. (Who was back? Derek had wondered.) Jake nodded, and then started practically begging Maddie to take him back. At first she'd tried to reason with him, but somehow…he'd gotten her to give it another try.

They started kissing, then, and Derek had felt something burst inside of him. It was rage, jealousy, fear…

He cried out to Maddie, "No, don't! He'll only hurt you again!" but she hadn't heard.

He'd forced himself to wake up then, unable to take seeing his dear, sweet Maddie in the arms of that bastard.

Now, he was pacing back and forth in the living room, fuming. (And had been doing so for over an hour. Before that, he'd simply been staring straight ahead in numb disbelief.)

How could she agree to be with him again? he thought to himself. What does she see in him? Sure, he's handsome. I'll give him that. Maybe it's his hair. That thick dark hair. Or maybe it's his eyes. Maybe she's a sucker for brown eyes.

Derek went into the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror.

"My God, man." he muttered. "You've really let yourself go. No wonder Maddie isn't the least bit interested!" (Okay, deep down, he knew that wasn't the real reason, but…)

It was two o'clock. He was much too wired to try and gain a few more hours of peaceful sleep now. Instead, he went into his room and changed clothes, not really paying attention to what he was putting on. What did it matter, anyway? Maddie was taken.

He finished dressing, then went back into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

As he spat the toothpaste out, he looked up at himself in the mirror over the sink.

"What an ugly old codger you are." he muttered to himself. He tossed some mouthwash back, gargled, and spat that out, too. "What an ugly, old, fat, disgusting pedophile you are." He straightened up then, scowling at himself in the mirror.

He went back out to the living room, back to his chair. He sat down, flicking on the telly. He watched the news for a bit before inevitably falling back asleep.

_"What? Maddie, are you fucking serious? You're actually going out with him again?" Brenda shrieks over the phone. Maddie winces._

_ "Yeah. Yeah, I am." She sighs._

_ "What the Hell could have possibly possessed you-"_

_ "He said he wouldn't hurt me again! He…he said he'd change!"_

_ "He's said that every time, Maddie, and he's never gone through with it." Brenda's voice grows sad. "Please, Maddie. I don't want you to get hurt. You're my best friend."_

_ "He said he loves me, Bren." Maddie's eyes well up with tears. "I think he really means it this time." Brenda doesn't answer. "You…you think I made a mistake?"_

_ "Um, yeah."_

_ "Okay, maybe you're not the best person to ask."_

_ "Why don't you ask that…Rebecca chick? She might be able to talk some sense into you. Or Dr. Mc-what's-his-face?"_

_ "It's McPhee! Dr. McPhee!" Maddie's voice is surprisingly…hostile for a moment._

_ "Okay, whatever. Ask him." _

_ "I can't…"_

_ "Why not?"_

_ "He's…He's my boss. There's just some things you shouldn't talk about with your boss."_

_ "Oh, come on. He totally likes you. It's obvious."_

_ "What? No. Impossible. He's gay."_

_ "Has he told you that?"_

_ "I…I can just tell."_

_ "That's a load of shit. He's straight, and he digs you." Brenda giggles. "I wouldn't mind seeing you with him."_

_ "Bren! He's…like…forty!"_

_ "So? Age be just a number. 'Tis what's in the heart that counts."_

_ "God, you're fucked up."_

_ "So?"_

_ "You're really fucked up."_

_ "Thanks."_

_ "So, uh, guess I'll see you tomorrow…er, well, tonight actually."_

_ "Yep."_

_ "Kay. So, uh, later."_

_ "Bye."_

_ "Bye."_

_ Maddie hangs up the phone._

Derek shot back awake.

Gay?

-------

Maddie sighed and shifted uncomfortably in her seat on the bus. Maybe Brenda was right. Maybe she was making a bad choice, being with Jake again. How did she really know if he was serious this time, that he was really going to change?

She was all alone this morning, what with it being Saturday and all. She was going to the museum, having different hours on the weekend.

Bored, she watched the scenes go by outside the window. Most of New York City was either just waking up or just going back to bed.

The bus pulled up to a stop outside of a ritzy apartment building. The passenger boarded. Maddie grinned when she saw it was Dr. McPhee.

He smiled warmly at her and came to the back, sitting next to her.

"Morning, Maddie." he said.

"Morning, sir." She smiled, but couldn't help but notice something off about him today. "Feeling alright?"

"Oh, yes. Wonderful. Why?"

"If you don't mind my saying so, sir, you look a bit troubled."

"Do I?" Maddie nodded. "Huh."

"Everything alright?"

"Oh, yes. Perfectly." He tilted his head. "Though I could ask you the same thing. You seem a bit troubled, too."

"Really?"

"Yes. Are you alright?" She shrugged. "Come on, then. Out with it. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, Dr. McPhee…I don't really think I should tell you."

"Why not?" His face fell a bit. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"We are?"

"Well, I thought we were…"

"Oh."

"Tell you what: You tell me what's bothering you, and I'll tell you what's bothering me. Deal?"

"Okay."

"You first."

"Um…Why don't you go first?"

"Because I'm sure whatever's bothering you is much more urgent." Maddie couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You…promise not to, like…I don't know…freak?"

"Yes. I promise not to…freak." He smiled. She hesitated.

"You're sure?"

"Maddie."

"Fine." She sighed and told him what was going on. Well, not everything. Just that her exboyfriend (who had sort of a temper problem) had come over last night, and they got back together, and now she wasn't sure that it had been a wise decision to get back with him. Dr. McPhee asked, very seriously, if he'd ever hit her. Reluctantly, she admitted he had quite a few times.

Dr. McPhee was silent for a while. Maddie, figuring he thought she was a total freak, fiddled awkwardly with the hem of her skirt. Finally, he looked her dead on,

"I think that, yes, it was definitely a bad decision to get back with him." he said slowly. Maddie lowered her eyes. She'd been half-expecting that. "No matter how many times he says he'll change, he probably never will. However," Maddie looked back up at him. "Does he make you happy?"

"What do you mean?" Maddie asked, confused.

"Does he…does he make you feel special? He says he loves you, but does he show it?" Maddie didn't answer, but Dr. McPhee seemed to guess. "If he doesn't, then yes: It was a huge mistake." Maddie sighed. "But, what do I know?" Dr. McPhee smirked. "I've been single for years." Maddie giggled.

"Your turn." she said. He chuckled, blushing.

"Do I seem gay to you?"


	14. Chapter 14

Knock knock knock.

Maddie got up off the couch and opened the door. There stood Jake, dressed in his standard black t-shirt and jeans. He smiled at her.

A week had gone by since they'd gotten back together. It was, once again, Friday night. Maddie's parents had gone out for a little "date night" sort of thing, and her brother and sister were at some sleep away thing at school.

"Hey, baby." he said, leaning in to kiss Maddie. She turned her head. His lips caught her cheek. Jake frowned. "What's up?"

"Um…come in." Maddie said softly. Just breathe…just get it over with.

She let Jake in. They sat together on the couch. Maddie stared at her knees for a moment.

"Babe?" Jake said softly. Maddie looked up at him, putting on a determined expression.

"I…I think we should stop seeing each other. Permanently." Maddie kept all emotion out of her voice.

"What?" Jake yelped. "Why the fuck do you think that?"

"You're not gonna change, Jake. You say you will, but you won't. You…you already gave me a black eye, and it's only been a week!" (It was true. She and Jake had had gotten into it Monday night over her "spending too much time" with her guy friends, resulting in a black eye for Maddie and a few scratches on Jake's face.)

"Baby, I…I'm sorry! You know I don't mean it! I love you!" Maddie's breath caught in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes. Why did he have to say that?

Maybe she was just being paranoid…He had anger issues. They could work it out together, couldn't they?

His puppy dog eyes pleaded with her. She felt her resolve weakening.

No.

Maddie saw Dr. McPhee's face in her mind, heard his voice.

_"No matter how many times he says he'll change, he probably never will."_ He was right. Jake would never change.

"Jake, you say that, but…that's all you do is say it. You've never once shown it." Maddie willed the tears back from her eyes. "You don't mean it."

"Maddie, you're not gonna break up with me." The begging look disappeared from Jake's eyes, replaced by cold fury. "You're mine. Do you understand that? Mine." Maddie stood up.

"Get the fuck out."

"No." Jake stood up, too. His powerful frame towered over her. She willed her knees not to shake.

"I said get out."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" He shoved her back onto the couch, but stayed standing. He glowered down at her. She whimpered. "Who do you think you are, huh, you slut?"

Maddie got back to her feet, pushing him backwards.

"Get out!" she shrieked. "You bastard! Get out!" She beat at his chest with her fists, which didn't do much. It was like a mouse trying to beat up a bull.

However, Jake seemed to be in shock. She'd never directly opposed him before. He let himself be backed to the door. He seemed to come to his senses once the wood hit his back.

"You're gonna be sorry, you little whore." he hissed. With one hand, he punched her square in the nose, with so much force that she hit the floor. He then swooped out the door, slamming it behind him.

Clutching her now profusely bleeding nose, Maddie shakily got up, locked the door, and stumbled into the bathroom.

Once there, she lowered her hands and stared into the mirror.

Her face was covered in blood.

The sight of the blood, and the events that caused it, brought a sick sense of pleasure and relief to her. She was free. And he'd never take that freedom away from her. Never.

She grinned.

---

Derek jerked awake in his chair. She'd done it. She'd finally done it! He could've danced for joy.

She'd dumped that no-good jack ass! For good this time! (Right?)

However, the fact that she'd ended all bloodied up kind of put a damper on it. Would she be able to go to work tomorrow?

Oh, what did it matter? She'd done it!

Derek smiled, his insides bouncing around happily. He relaxed back into his chair, thinking about the past week.

Ever since they'd had that discussion on the bus last Saturday, he and Maddie had gotten a bit closer. She still rode the bus in the morning (as Jake had a habit of skipping the first two classes of the day at school) and he always sat with her and her friends. She'd actually fallen asleep on his shoulder once, though her friend Brenda had woken her up almost immediately afterwards to get off the bus.

In the afternoons, when he had her all to himself, he felt like he was in heaven. They'd sit together in the back of the bus and chat, usually just about whatever exhibit had been thrown up on/climbed on/somehow disturbed. Sometimes it got more personal, sometimes a bit deep. He'd asked her on Thursday if she was still seeing "that Jake boy", and she'd admitted that she was, but only because she didn't know how to break up with him. (He'd always been the one to dump her.) Derek had encouraged her to be brave, to just go for it. She'd hugged him.

He found out that she was quite the hugger, actually. He got three hugs from her normally: In the morning, she'd hug him when he got on the bus, then before she got off. In the afternoon, she'd hug him before he got off at his stop, but sometimes she'd throw in an extra one while they were talking, particularly if he'd said something sweet or wise.

Derek sighed to himself, content. Ah, Maddie…

After a while, he got up and went to bed. It was almost ten.

The next morning, he woke up feeling chipper. Maddie had spent most of the night studying biology, as well as talking on the phone to Nadia and Brenda (who were both very glad she'd gone through with it). He had laid on her bed next to her, simply smiling and watching her. She'd washed the blood off her face, and her nose wasn't broken. You could've hardly guessed she'd just gone through a violent break up.

Derek showered and dressed, thrpwing back a quick cup of coffee before heading out to the bus stop.

When the bus pulled up, he got on, paid his fare, and went straight to the back. Maddie was sitting alone, staring dreamily out the window. He sat next to her. She grinned when she saw him, immediately hugging him tightly. He smiled, hugging her back and allowing himself to breathe in the sweet scent of her hair. Fabric softener.

When she pulled back, he saw she had a small cut under her eye. That must have happened when she'd hit the floor.

"How are you this morning?" she asked, smiling. Her eyes sparkled happily.

"Just wonderful, thanks." he replied. "And you?"

"I'm fantastic." Yes, you are.

"And what makes you so fantastic this morning?" She grinned. He loved being able to ask exactly what she wanted to answer at exactly the right time.

"I did it." she whispered. "Last night."

"Could you rephrase that please?" She giggled.

"I broke up with Jake." Derek grinned.

"Fantastic!"

"Exactly." He hugged her tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Maddie." And he really was. She'd done it.

"Thanks."

"So, how does it feel?"

"Free." She grinned. "Awesome." He laughed.

"Well, enjoy your freedom. A girl like you won't be single for too long." For fuck's sake…did he really just say that? Maddie's cheeks reddened.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I, er…Well…Look, you already know I'm not gay."

"Yeah."

"Well…you're quite…pretty." Derek's face was burning. He looked away. "Beautiful, even." He shrugged. It was suddenly quite warm on the bus.

"You…you really think so?" He looked back at her. Was that…a glimmer of hope in her eye?

"Yeah. Yeah. I really think so." he breathed.

An awkward silence filled the space between them.

Suddenly, Maddie put her hands, palm down, in front of her. One was on top of the other, so that there was a thumb on each side. She then started wiggling her thumbs.

"Er…What on Earth are you doing?"

"Awkward turtle. He only appears during awkward silences."

Derek grinned, falling in love with her all over again.

They spent the rest of the ride making ridiculously safe small talk, mostly about the weather. However, Derek couldn't help but notice that, no matter what the topic, her cheeks stayed rather pink the whole time.

When it was time to get off the bus, he ended up getting off first. Without really thinking, he offered her his hand to help her down. Blushing, she accepted it. They walked side by side into the museum.

(AN: Sorry about the wait. lolz Um…yeah…if you don't know what the Awkward Turtle is, just youtube it. It's kind of hard to explain. Hope you're all well!)


	15. Chapter 15

It was noon. Maddie was, at the moment, finishing up giving a tour to a particularly bratty group of Girl Scouts. Honestly, Maddie had nothing against Girl Scouts, having been one when she was a kid. (Briefly.) These little girls were just very…Manhattan-y. Typical spoiled little rich girls. Maddie wanted to bang her head against a wall, but figured the troop leaders (Tiffany and Muffy) might take that as an insult.

As she was walking them back to the exit, Dr. McPhee was walking by. He gave her a quick smile, hesitated, then mouthed "coffee?" at her. She blushed and nodded quickly, smiling. He winked, nodded to the desks, then to the troop. Maddie gave him a thumbs-up and, restraining a grin, hurried the girls to the door.

Derek watched her go, grinning. He'd done it. He'd successfully asked her out. Wait…had she known what he meant? Did she think he was just being a crazy old man, talking to himself and twitching?

"Is that your boyfriend?" one of the little girls in her tour group piped up as they prepared to leave. Derek grinned, holding in a laugh. Though her back was turned, he could tell Maddie was blushing by how red her ears turned.

"No." she said. "He's not."

"He's cute, though." The same little girl said. Maddie turned and looked at him. He could tell she was trying not to laugh.

He pointed at her, winking and giving her a semi-cocky grin. Maddie stifled a laugh.

"Isn't he, though?" she said to the little girl. "Have a nice day, girls." She ushered the girls and their troop leaders out, then came over to him.

He grinned.

"You think I'm cute." He teased her. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't let it go to your head." She warned. His heart sped up when he realized she hadn't denied it. He smiled.

"So," he said, "Coffee, then?"

"Definitely." He smiled. They both clocked out for lunch. Derek saw Rebecca giving Maddie a look, a mixture of "What-did-I-tell-you" and teasing.

He led her to the Starbucks across the street.

"I'm treating, by the way." He said casually as they crossed.

"Oh, no, you're not." She protested.

"Oh, yes, I am." He countered. "In celebration of your new found singlehood, I am treating you to a cup of coffee. Or tea. Or…whatever." Maddie blushed. "Understood?" She sighed.

"Yes, Dr. McPhee."

"Good." He held the door open for her. "And it's Derek when we're out of the museum, okay?"

"Derek." She repeated, sending a chill up his spine. His name sounded like music on her lips. "Got it." He grinned.

They waited in line, chatting casually. When it was their turn, they ordered their coffees. Derek paid. When the barista asked for the names, Derek glanced at Maddie.

"Santa Claus." She said. Derek rolled his eyes. The barista wrote it down, chuckling, and said it'd be done in a few. They found a table by the window and waited.

They sat kind of awkwardly for a moment, not really looking at each other. However, Derek was the first to break the silence.

"Admit it, you think I'm gorgeous." He teased. Maddie giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Totally. You're a stud." She poked him in the arm playfully. He nodded, feigning boredom.

"I know, I know." He sighed. "It gets a bit old, though, being so good-looking."

"I bet it does." She touched his arm mock-sympathetically. He laughed, patting her hand.

Their eyes locked. His hand froze on hers.

A smile played at her lips as she hesitantly ran her thumb against his. He squeezed her hand, breathless.

Maddie willed her hands to stop shaking as she stared into Dr. McPhee's… Derek's eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him, felt his hand on hers.

His eyes bore into hers intensely, hazel into blue. She felt herself being drawn in, only half-realized they were both leaning in, slowly… their lips inches apart…

"Santa Claus!" the barista called. They both jumped back. Maddie started to get up, but Derek gently pushed her back down.

"I've got it." He said softly. Speechless, she nodded. He smiled and walked over to the counter. Maddie struggled to regain her breath. They'd almost kissed! She had almost kissed her boss!

When he brought the coffee back, she'd calmed down enough to breathe semi-normally. He handed her hers, sitting back down.

"Thanks." She murmured. He nodded.

They sipped their coffees, avoiding eye contact for a few minutes. She wanted more than anything to be holding his hand again… But why? Sure, he was good-looking, but he was… a lot older than her. He wasn't interested in a stupid teenager, anyway… was he?

She glanced at him. Their eyes met. He looked away, his cheeks reddening. She looked down at her coffee.

When they'd finished, they threw out their cups and walked back across the street to the museum.

Exchanging an awkward goodbye, Derek headed back up to his office while Maddie sat by Rebecca at the desk.

"Okay, what happened?" Rebecca asked, stopping in the middle of her typing. Her face burning, Maddie explained what had happened in hushed tones. When she'd finished, Rebecca's was grinning.

"What'd I tell you?" Rebecca teased.

By the end of the day, Derek still couldn't get the events of the coffee break out of his mind. They had been so close to kissing… so close…

Derek sat in his office, staring blankly at the email he'd been reading. He had been about to respond to it when he noticed an ad for fabric softener at the top of the screen, causing him to think about Maddie again.

Her lips had been so close to his, less than an inch. Her hand had felt so perfect, like it was made to hold his. God, he was in deep. This just intensified it.

When it was time to leave, he hesitated. How awkward would it be to sit next to her again?

He shook his head and pressed on. He would get through this.

Back down by the desk, he saw Maddie as she was walking out. Rebecca smirked at him. He mentally groaned. Of course Maddie had told her.

"Does she hate me?" he asked. Rebecca's eyes softened.

"Definitely not." She assured him, winking. He smiled, wished her a pleasant evening, and walked out.

He joined Maddie on the bench, sitting next to her at an appropriate distance. She glanced up from her book, smiling at him. He smiled back, swallowing.

"Fun day?" he asked. She laughed.

"No more Girl Scouts." She said. He chuckled.

"Well, that's good." He hesitated. "Look, about…earlier…"

"What about it?" She closed her book, looking at him fully. Her cheeks were bright red.

"If I…If I made you feel uncomfortable or something…" Yeah, that sounded intelligent.

"You didn't." She gave him a small smile. "It was just awkward."

"So, you don't think I'm just some perverted old man?"

"I never said that." He stared at her. She grinned. "But no, I don't."

"No?"

"No. I think you're sweet."

"Sweet?"

"And not too bad-looking."

"Oh, please."

"You're gorgeous."

"Yes, I know. We've had this discussion already." Derek smiled. "I'm the most handsome man in the world, pursuing the most beautiful woman in the world." Oh, God. Did he really just say that?

Her cheeks grew even more red.

Throwing all caution to the wind, he gently took her hand. She shifted. At first he thought she was trying to get away, but she was simply repositioning her arm. He laced his fingers with hers.

"You're…really serious?" Derek breathed. Maddie nodded.

Derek filled with light. Was this really happening? Was he really going to end up with his "dream girl"?

He started to lower his lips to hers. Closer…closer…

SQUEEEEEEEAK! There was the bus.

"God damn it!" Derek exclaimed, jumping up. Maddie jumped up, too. She grabbed his shoulder, pulled him lower, and kissed him.

His stomach swooped, his knees shaking. He touched her cheek. She pulled back, grinned, poked him, and ran onto the bus. He ran after her, paying his fare and following her to the back.

They sat together at the very back. They were both grinning. He squeezed her hand, lightly kissing her head. She giggled. He slipped his arm around her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

They stayed that way for the ride, not talking for once. Every now and then he'd place a kiss on the top of her head, subtly inhaling the scent of her hair. His fabric softener girl.

When the bus was close to her stop, she took out a pen and quickly scrawled her number on his hand. At her stop, he pulled the cord for her and let her go. She kissed him quickly before hurrying off the bus. Derek smiled to himself for the rest of the way.


End file.
